C-Link is pleased to announce that work on a £60 million construction project that intends to develop student accommodation and shopping facilities in Bishop Gate in Coventry has begun. The work will be completed on the site of the former Royal Mail building, with mechanical diggers having recently moved in to begin the first phase of the project.

Coventry University has teamed up with Barberry Developments on the project, which will consist of tower blocks capable of housing 700 students. Work is expected to complete by August 2018 and there are already plans in place to develop a further two tower blocks to house the increasingly large numbers of students flocking to Coventry to take advantage of the facilities the city has to offer.

The project previously hit some minor bumps, with many residents expressing concerns that the towers would overshadow other properties and that students may begin using residential streets to park their cars.

However, these fears have now been quelled by developers who demonstrated that the plans for the buildings provided ample space for other properties and would be made using modern construction materials, like glass, to create an attractive development in tune with the surrounding area, rather than overshadowing it.

Rob Talliss, the Director of Estate Development at Coventry University, recently spoke about that consultation, stating:

“The public consultation last year was a useful exercise giving us an opportunity to take on board much of the feedback we received from the people of Coventry.

“That resulted in some minor changes to the plans – namely some design tweaks to soften the impact of the buildings on the skyline.”

He continued by speaking about the project itself, adding:

“It’s great to finally kick start work on the site, and it won’t be long before we start to see the new complex taking shape in a part of the city that will really benefit from this kind of investment.

“We very much look forward to welcoming our new students to this new accommodation in 2018.”

At C-Link we look forward to seeing Coventry University and Barberry Developments to deliver this project and support any efforts to revitalise brownfield sites across the UK.

In our efforts to foster growth and opportunity across Construction we have created a Procurement platform that connects Quantity Surveyors, Project Managers and other Construction Professionals with Specialist Contractors who can help deliver their projects. To find out more about our service, please visit C-Link.